NEW! The above featured Dave Prince WCZY personality card (from 1983) is courtesy of Roy Stephens. Thank you, Roy, for sharing this memory and for your contributions. Much appreciated! 🙂
The featured WCZY image was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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WGPR Making Waves in Detroit with Increased Remote Broadcasting
DETROIT — A radio station that’s “kinda movin’ ” gets listeners and WGPR-FM is a station constantly on the move. Floyd M. Jones (aka Sporty J), station manager, said the station is “No. 1 among FM stations and No. 3 among stations – period.”
WGPR (Floyd M. Jones) Disc Jockey Lounge billing, mid-1960s. (Click on ad for largest PC view; or tap image, stretch image across MOBILE device screen for detailed view).
Probably the strongest example of how this station moves, however, is a countdown of its remotes – 36 a week. Jones handles a two-hour daily, three – hour Saturday evening jazz record show from the Disk Jockey Lounge. Dan (Bull Frog) Harrison does an rhythm and blues record show from the Chit Chat Lounge. DJ Larry Dixon may handle a random remote broadcast, but nothing steady at the moment; however, he does have a weekly record hop.
The 50,000-watt FM station broadcasts about 20 hours a day covering a radius of 75 miles. One reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the station, Jones said, is that some 87 per cent of Detroit’s Negro element has FM radios. “But it’s more than that. We’re creating the image here that FM is more than just a background medium. We’re putting out a new sound.”
While the station programs record shows for Detroit populace such as Greeks, Italians, Polish and Mexican, the main portion of each day is used with rhythm and blues programs – a total of three programs a day for a total of seven hours. Jazz takes up about four hours each day. Gospel music is played early in the morning. Sunday is devoted to remote broadcasts most of the day from local churches. The station employs about 40 people. Bob Longwell is the station’s general manager.
Another reason the station is moving, according to Jones, is that programming and air personalities aims at three important and large audience segments. “I take care of the jazz fans,” Jones said. “Larry Dixon is a teen-oriented personality. And Bullfrog is for the rhythm and blues fans.” END
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Information, credit, and news source: Billboard, July 17, 1965
NEW!A special THANK YOU to our friend, Jim Nuznoff, of Port Charlotte, Florida, for this featured and rare WGPR aircheck contribution (he recorded 55 years ago) for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks aircheck repository.
Jim writes (01/09/2024): “Remote broadcast of the Sporty J. Show, live from the Disc Jockey Lounge, 15509 Livernois. A unique taste of Detroit radio.”
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Audio remastered! This selected audio recording was digitally enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
The Honor Roll of Hits comprises the nation’s top tunes according to record sales and sheet sales, disk jockey and jukebox performances as determined by The Billboard’s weekly nationwide sales.
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Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
The above Honor Roll Of Hits music chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
ON YOUR PC? You can view this entire Billboard 02/03/1958 chart ENLARGED. For a larger detailed view click above chart image 2x and open to second window.
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When WHNE AM-FM intially signed on in 1973, the jingle package for the station’s automated format was first created by Drake/Chenault. It was Bill Drake who did the voice over — “This is WHNE Birmingham, WHND Monroe“– one of three Greater Media stations advancing their new “all oldies” format, likewise, heard in Pasadena (KRLA 1110) and in Philadelphia (WPEN 950).
In the early 70s with AM and FM stations in all market sizes coming under the FCC rule and following the large market model, Drake-Chenault entered the radio syndication business in earnest, making taped formats available to non-RKO stations. Drake-Chenault syndication established a studio at 8399 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Canoga Park, CA. Among the early format offerings were Classic Gold, created for KHJ-FM (which became KRTH), Solid Gold, Hit Parade and Great American Country. The original 48-hour History of Rock and Roll, which had been created for KHJ, was made available nationwide, and was followed by other syndicated “special” programs.
James Kefford, who became the company’s President, joined the firm in 1973 and teamed up with the automation suppliers to visit radio station owners and detail the benefits of using the automation system and the Drake Chenault programmers. Bill Drake and Gene Chenault tapped Kefford to spearhead the next growth phase for the company in 1977.
By the late 70’s, with a staff of regional managers, programming consultants, production engineers and administrative personnel the Drake Chenault format client list grew to over 300, with many of the consulted stations number one in their markets.
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Source information (portions): Drake-Chenault [Wikipedia]
NEW! A special THANK YOU to Randall Carlisle and Charlie O’Brien for recently contributing this featured CKLW 20 20 News audio memory, from April 1972, for our airchecks repository.
The above featured Detroit Free Press article was digitally re-imaged by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features? GO HERE
MCRFB Note: Special THANKS to our friend, John Bartony (a.k.a. Jukebox John) St. Clair Shores, Michigan, for providing the above Detroit Free Press WKMH 1310 ads (February 1963) for this site, as featured today.
A special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have provide for this site since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
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Toronto Site July 3, 4, 5; 25% of Gross to Peace Fund
TORONTO — John Lennon has announced what could be the biggest pop music festival in history, with 25-per cent of the gross receipts going to a newly formed Peace Fund to be administered by a newly-formed Peace Council, which already includes John and Yoko Lennon, Dick Gregory, Rabbi Abraham Feinberg, and Jerry Wexler, Executive VP of Atlantic Records.
The Lennons spent a week in Canada at the invitation of a group of “Canadian friends.” Two press conferences – in Toronto and Montreal – were held during the stay, during which the couple announced the Peace Festival to take place at Mosport Park, near Toronto, on July 3, 4 and 5.
John Lennon, peace activist, circa 1970 (Photo Credit: Harry Goodman)
Lennon also took time out to reveal a new chain of peace radio stations, an international peace vote, Year One A. P., and an intimate Canadian involvement in his positive peace persuasion campaign.
Lennon also met with Canada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, the country’s Health Minister, John Munro, and representatives from the Commission into Drug Use, which is considering marijuana legalization in Canada.
The couple arrived on Tuesday (Dec. 16) and stayed at Ronnie Hawkins’ farm on the outskirts of Toronto for the duration of their visit. The day after their arrival, the Lennons outlined plans for the Peace Festival at a press conference.
“We have a strong group of people here in Canada to act on our behalf. One of them is John Brower, who produced the successful Toronto Pop Festival in June and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival in September, which the Plastic Ono Band played at,” Lennon said.
The local press asked John if the Beatles would be playing. “Of course I’ll try and hustle them out. Maybe I’ll get one or two of them. I got George in London the other night for the UNICEF concert. But I can’t speak for all the Beatles because I’m only me. But if I can get them, if I can get Elvis, I’ll try. I’ll try and get all of them. We want everybody who’s anybody in pop music to be up there on that stage in July.”
Lennon was quick to point out that the Peace Festival is only a charity affair after-the-fact. “We want to pay everybody involved because there’s no point in asking people to do something for nothing. If you’re to depend on people, they must be paid.”
Lennon also announced a network of peace radio stations, an event initiated by Canadian broadcasting magnate, Geoff Stirling. Stirling’s dozen stations were the first to join the network, and were quickly followed by ABC’s FM Love network and some affiliated ABC stations.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon, 1970
Any interested station can contact John Brower in Toronto (36 Elgin Avenue) for free radio peace station breaks by John and Yoko, and a tape of the regular John and Yoko peace report.
In conjunction with Brower’s Canadian company, the Lennons have launched an International Peace Vote. Ads will start appearing in music magazines shortly. People will be asked to vote for either war or peace.
Lennon said everyone interested in peace should regard the New Year as Year One A. P. (for After Peace).
Atlantic Records offered its phone services on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29, 30, 31, for transmission to key radio stations coast to coast of John and Yoko’s Year One welcome message. The message was broadcast by peace stations and scores of other stations on New Year’s Day.
The Peace Council will be responsible for administration of monies earned at the Festival, but it has already been pointed out that conventional charities will not be used. “We’re setting up our own scenes, to make sure that the job gets done,” Lennon said.
Noting that it had only been two weeks since he and Brower and another friend had got the concept together, Lennon said there had been no time to organize the talent lineup for the Festival. But apart from he and Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band, which would probably feature Eric Clapton, Lennon said the organizers had received confirmations on Led Zeppelin, the Who, Ronnie Hawkins, the Band, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Joe Cocker and Grand Funk Railroad. He again stated that he would be personally inviting “everybody who’s anybody.”
The Canadian media met Lennon’s peace campaign with sympathy and full support, with one reservation. They suggested John and Yoko should also consider unleashing their campaign behind the Iron Curtain. “Sure,” Lennon retaliated, “and we want to. It’s just a matter or deciding the best way to do it. Right now our U.S. business manager, Allen Klein, is working on taking the Peace Festival, or a nucleus thereof, to Russia after the Canadian debut.”
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Information, credit and news source: Record World, January 10, 1970
John Lennon and Yoko, 1970. (Photo Credit: Anthony Cox/Keystone/Getty Images)
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NEW! The above featured Dave Prince WCZY personality card (from 1983) is courtesy of Roy Stephens. Thank you, Roy, for sharing this memory and for your contributions. Much appreciated! 🙂
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ON YOUR PC? You can view this WCZY 1983 Dave Prince profile card ENLARGED. For a larger detailed view click above chart image 2x and open to second window.
